For-Real Fiction
by ninjab
Summary: When a group of teens log on to a role playing website, they figured it was just for fun. After all, who wouldn't want to live like Percy Jackson for a couple hours every day? But they soon learn that they aren't the only ones playing...
1. I nearly get eaten in Chemistry

_The gloved fingers rolled carefully across the touchscreen, applying enough pressure to move the image, but not enough to edit anything. Narrowed eyes took in the words that flashed before them, and an oily voice crept into the darkness, shattering the oppressive silence. "Soon…"_

Alexix-to-Hellhound *uses sword to stab the beast; it disintegrates*

-to-Oswald *turns to see him finishing off his beast* "Is that the last of them?"

-to-Dylin "Of course, hellhounds are easy. It's the Cyclopes you have to watch out for."

Oswald-to-Alexix *Lowers sword and grins at her* I believe so. Another job well done.

-to-Dylin "Why aren't you wearing your dog tags? Did you lose them?"

Dylin-to-Alexix *Glances over his shoulder nervously* "Cyclopes?"

-to-Oswald *reaches for his neck frowning* "They were taken from me. I was actually about to go get them when I ran into you two."

Oswald-to-Dylin *eyes widen* "A quest? Why didn't you say so? It would be my honor to assist on such a noble mission."

-to-Alexix "Are you up for a quest?"

Alexix-to-Dylin *grins mischievously* "Yup, but don't worry, they probably won't eat you."

-to-Oswald *raises an eyebrow* "Did you expect anything less?" *sighs* I'm afraid I can't join you this time. I have cabin chores to complete." (I'm logging off now, good luck on your quest!)

My laptop shut with a satisfying click. Alexix, my short, blonde, monster-killing alter-ego had woken up, made a few witty comments, and laid waste to a pair of hellhounds all in under an hour. Not a bad way to start a morning.

Racing down the stairs, I grabbed my backpack from its place next to the door, jumped into my mom's old minivan, threw it into reverse, and stomped on the gas.

Nothing happened.

"You kind of need a key to drive." My sister said from the passenger's seat. "Opening the garage door helps too."

I punched the roof of the car, only remembering that I had broken the garage remote yesterday _after_ I jammed my thumb. "Jinx it, where's my—"

"It's in the cup holder." One of my twin brothers supplied helpfully from the backseat.

"Can you hurry please? We're going to be late again." The other one said.

I located the black device with the keys and tried to keep from rolling my eyes while we waited for the metal barrier to roll to the ceiling. "You haven't been late once. Quit your crying."

I glanced at the clock to make sure we could make it, nearly hitting the mailbox as I backed down the driveway. We had thirteen minutes.

It would take eight minutes to drive to the elementary school to drop off the twins, four minutes to get from there to the middle school, and two minutes from there to the high school if I pushed the speed limit and the traffic wasn't bad.

"Laina, will you check the glove box for pop tarts?"

I didn't need to look at her; I could feel her eyes rolling. "You ate the last ones yesterday." She said, not bothering to check the glove box. "Why does it take you so long to get ready? You get up half an hour earlier than me."

"Um…" I tried to think up a good excuse. It wasn't like I could tell my sister that I spent most of my mornings role playing with Percy Jackson characters over the internet. I pulled up to the elementary school and the boys popped out of the car, providing an easy subject change. "Do you have everything?"

They ran off without responding. Laina answered for them while I wove through the parking lot, doing my best not to run over any small children. "Of course they do. We're not all as careless as you, Brit. Do you have all your things?"

I thought that over, "Umm… Jinx it, I have that Chemistry quiz today."

Laina nodded once before hopping out at the middle school. "That's what I thought. Good luck, I'll see you tonight. Don't forget you have to take the twins to soccer; I'm staying after for basketball."

"Yeah, see you." I was already hitting the gas. Thank heavens high school had passing period. It gave me five extra minutes to get to class. I swerved into the parking lot that led to the high school, narrowly missing a band kid carrying a baritone, and heard the first bell ring, distantly. I was almost to my parking spot when a black truck backed out in front of me. I laid on my horn, shouting at him. Really, considering my speed, he's lucky that's all I did.

Black truck guy didn't seem to care, taking his sweet time to repark his truck because it would be the _end of the world_ if his shiny car wasn't exactly between the two lines. It took all I had not to ram that perfect little fender of his. Finally, he was out of my way. I parked my minivan, grabbed my backpack and ran to first period, sliding into my seat just as the bell rang.

Makayla, my best friend since forever, passed up the notes on whatever the teacher was talking about before I got there. Most of it was the useless announcement stuff, but Ms. Higgins was notorious for having tests over the random items that no one pays attention to. I scanned it quickly then passed it back.

"How do you always show up exactly on time?" Makayla asked, awestruck.

"I'm a talented girl." I said, trying to hide my grin from Ms. Higgins. That was another thing she was notorious for: joy killing.

Terry looked at me from across the aisle. "If I tried that, I'd be busted before you could say—"

"Mr. Conner, Is there something you'd like to say to the class?"

Terry blushed and stammered out an apology while Makayla and I tried to hide our snickering. Terry was constantly getting in trouble, usually for things that Makayla and I did. He didn't mind though. He said we were cool enough that a trouble maker reputation was worth it. Terry was fun like that, which was one of the only reasons I allowed him to date my best friend.

After Ms. Higgins' class, I trudged down the hall towards chemistry, walking extra slowly so that Makayla could try to fill me in on everything I needed to know for the test. My mind whirled with words like Molecular Bond Structure and Diatomic Atoms. I wondered what Alexix would do in this situation.

She probably wouldn't have studied either, but only because she already knew all the answers. Or maybe she would have studied, asking someone else to quiz her while she hacked at a dummy. Of course, if she was totally blindsided by the test, she could have just created a storm so big that the school was forced to call a snow day. I sighed. It was really a pity that I wasn't like Alexix.

"You got all that?" Makayla asked as we arrived at the classroom.

I nodded, even though it was a total lie and we both knew it. "Yeah, sure thing. Molecular atom and diatomic structure of James Bond. Easy. I've got this test in the bag."

Makayla rolled her eyes but went to her seat as the bell rang.

Mr. Boon stood up at the front of the classroom. "Sit down, get out your pencils, shut your mouths."

The class obeyed immediately. Mr. Boon was kind of a big man, and since he had access to all sorts of acids and flammable things, no one in their right mind messed with him. I pulled out my lucky pencil only to realize that the tip had broken off in my backpack. I glanced up at Mr. Boon and decided that a trip to the pencil sharpener could wait until he sat back down.

"You have a test today. If you studied, watch out for questions 17, 32 and 54. If you didn't study, there's no helping you. You have until the end of the period. You can begin as soon as you get the test."

He sent the stack of tests down the first row for the students to pass around, then turned and sat down at his desk. I waited until the test landed on my desk then I waited some more until Mr. Boon picked up his newspaper. Standing, I tried to move silently towards the pencil sharpener. I couldn't help the volume of the sharpener, of course, but I tried to finish sharpening as quickly as possible.

Once I was satisfied with the tip, and completely convinced that I would fail the test no matter what, I turned to go back to my seat. That's when I saw the dog.

A huge black mastiff stood in the front of the classroom staring me down. I froze, trying to see if anyone else was freaking out from the corner of my eyes. No one else seemed to notice; they were all working on the test.

I had no idea how they could focus on chemistry with that thing standing there. It was taller than me, which placed it at nearly six feet, black as death, with foam dripping from teeth that looked frighteningly sharp. The thing jumped at me, jaws wide like it was trying to eat my face off. I ducked, instinctively and the beast flew over my head, slamming into the wall with a sickening crunch. It whipped around, not seeming to feel the pain and charged at me again. Not knowing what to do, I held my hands out in front of me to defend myself.

The awful thing plowed into my hands with enough force to flip me over. I shut my eyes as my butt hit the hard tile floor. I expected the claws and teeth to tear me limb from limb, but nothing happened. I opened my eyes hesitantly and saw the dog staring at me from three inches away. My lucky pencil stuck out of its chest.

I looked around certain that I couldn't be the only one who was seeing this. Mr. Boon peered at me over the top of his newspaper. Was it my imagination or did he look… different somehow?

"Is there a problem Brittany?" Mr. Boon said, narrowing his eye.

I stared at him. He only had one eye. Peering out of the middle of his forehead, there was ONE EYE. I blinked hard, shaking myself. Looking again, there were two eyes staring at me through Mr. Boon's reading glasses. I looked at the dog for an explanation, but it was gone. There was just my pencil sitting on the tile floor.

"That's my pencil…" I said stupidly.

Mr. Boon rolled his eyes. Two of them, I reassured myself, he rolled two eyes. "Yes, and that's my test sitting unfinished on your desk. If you'd get your pencil off of the floor and finish it, perhaps these ninety minutes will not be a complete waste of time."

I grabbed my pencil and went back to my desk. Once I was safely out of his line of fire, I looked more closely at the pencil. There was no blood, no fur, no scratches. Nothing that would suggest anything out of the ordinary had happened. Was I going insane?

I glanced up at the clock and realized I only had ten minutes to take the test. Where had the time gone? Frantically, I circled C on every question, finishing just as the bell rang. Mr. Boon stood up. "Pencils down, class. No one leaves until I've personally collected every test."

I set my pencil on my desk and noticed a tiny indent near the eraser. I leaned in to get a better look. It seemed almost like a… snowflake? Before I could be sure, Mr. Boon snatched my test and dismissed the class. When I scooped up my pencil again, the mark was gone.

**So, this is a new story, but I think it could, maybe, possibly, have potential. If you agree, tell me. If you don't think so, tell me that too.**

** Some of the forum characters will be borrowed from Rick Riordan, but many of them will be O/C's I borrowed from other people on this site. In this scene, Dylin was borrowed from GreakFreak, and Oswald was taken from River W. I did get their permission first, and I'd like to thank them for thinking up such awesome characters and letting me use them. The other characters (Alexix, Brittany, etc.) were my O/C's.**

**I'm not sure whether or not to continue this, so please review both happy thoughts and slightly-less-happy ones. All comments are appreciated. Thanks to everyone who reads this, especially my beta and little sis who always reads it first. ~NinjaB.**


	2. I acquire a pet tiger

_The smell of stale smoke and old coffee grounds permeated the air as a chuckle filled the air. "They have no idea what's in store…" The gloved fingers rapidly punched in code and within moments a red button filled the screen, covering the pictures beneath. On it was a simple word, one even toddlers would recognize. In the solitude darkness provided, there was a single click as a finger pressed GO._

Derain-to-All Hey!

Paris-to-Derain Hi Derain! What's up?

Derain-to-Paris Not much just walking Charlie… *gestures to the tiger standing behind him*

Paris-to-Derain *leaps back, grabbing her sword* What is that?

Derain-to-Paris *looks calmly down at the tiger* Who, Charlie? He's a Bengal Tiger.

-to-Charlie What's wrong with it? I think she looks great.

-to-Paris *blushes* I mean, um, yeah, so…

Paris-to-Derain You have a tiger? That is… something. I'm going to leave now. Please don't let it, er, him, chase after me. (It's getting late here, I'm going to bed.)

Derain-to-Charlie Way to go, always scaring away the girls. (okay, see you later then.)

I shoved myself away from my computer sighing. Once again, my forum character was left talking to his tiger. I guess it was partly my fault, staying in the forum until there was no one left on. I couldn't help that they all lived on the opposite side of the world though. Sometimes I hated time zones.

I left my room and walked through the empty house. Both my parents were at work; I was staying home alone for the summer. I considered going to a pool or asking some of my friends to come play football with me in the park, both perfectly normal things for a teenage guy to do, but quite honestly, I preferred to stay home with my comics, video games, and books. Which meant the only thing to do now was find something to eat.

As I walked into the kitchen and started pulling out what I needed to make a sandwich, my orange tabby started making circles around my ankles, silently asking for scraps. I looked down at her scornfully, but kept my tone pleasant. "You are a pathetic excuse for an animal. You could learn a lot from Charlie."

The tabby, dubbed Princess Charlotte by my older sister before she left for college, glared up at me. _And you could learn plenty from me in turn. How about you just drop some of that tuna and we'll call it even?_

Startled, I stumbled back, letting my lunch slip through my fingers. Princess Charlotte leaped on it eagerly, her black and orange fur quivering with delight. "D-did you just…" I shook my head to clear it. Obviously, there was something wrong with me.

_Speak to you? Yes, I did. I don't know why you're so surprised. You've been speaking to me since I moved in. _ Princess Charlotte barely glanced up from her prize.

"Sure, but you've never spoken back! What am I supposed to…" I stopped, realizing how stupid it was to be arguing with my cat. "Never mind."

I walked quickly back into my room, never turning my back on the kitten that had seemed so innocent five minutes ago. I muttered half excuses to myself as I went, trying to keep myself from trembling. "I'm hallucinating. I must be over tired. Or stressed, yeah, I could be stressed."

My computer was still open to my forum page, my last message still sitting on the bottom of the screen. I kicked the door shut and pulled my chair up under me. The internet would have the answers. Surely I wasn't the only person in the world that imagined his pets talking to him.

I moved my cursor up to the URL bar, intent on finding the fastest search engine there was, but my hand was shaking so badly that I hit the refresh button instead. I quickly readjusted and was just typing something in when a new box on my screen caught my eye. Someone else was on the forum.

Alexix-to-All Are you kidding me? Is this some sort of sick joke or something? What is going on?

Frowning, I hit refresh to see if there was someone else on she might have been talking to. It sounded like she was setting the scene for someone to have pranked her, but I hadn't heard of any plans. Another box popped up at the bottom of the screen.

Travis-to-Anyone I just stole a car.

I rolled my eyes. Travis was a 'child of Hermes', so he often bragged about stealing things just to start a conversation, but he had claimed to have taken a car yesterday. Forgetting my cat, I hit reply.

Derain-to-Alexix Is something wrong?

-to-Travis You stole a car yesterday. That's kind of old news.

In the time it had taken me to type in the two sentences, four more people had jumped onto the forum, a number practically unheard of at this hour. Alexix replied with so many exclamation points, I could practically picture a small blonde child sitting next to me screaming.

Alexix-to-Derain Yes there is something wrong! I want to know which one of the idiots on this site thought it would be funny to prank me.

Travis-to-Derain Dude, you don't understand. I'm not talking as Travis right now. I'm talking about me. The kid sitting behind the keyboard right now. I stole a car, and I am FREAKING OUT!

A chill went through me as I read the words. Sure, you couldn't always be sure who you were actually dealing with when you were on the internet, but to have a criminal actually confess…

I was about to type back, not that I had any idea what to say, when Alexix sent out three or four angry messages in a row, all in caps lock. She seemed to be directing most of her hate at Oswald though. I quickly read through them, realizing that she was accusing him for something that had gone on in her day. When she realized that Dylin was on too, she doubled her messages. She seemed to be asking them about a dog of some sort.

A jolt went through me as I realized that she must have been dealing with the same things I was. My mind flicked nervously to Princess Charlotte, and, as though my thoughts had summoned her, I heard a voice in my head again.

_Hey, uh, Jack? Tall male owner? You in there? I think there was something fishy about that tuna you gave me. And I don't mean the good kind of fishy._

I yanked open my door, planning on telling the tabby to get lost, but my jaw hung slack when I saw Princess Charlotte. _No way_, my brain said to my eyeballs, _that can't be real_.

_That's what's there_. My eyes insisted_, There's a tiger in the hallway_.

Whirling, I slammed the door shut, creating what little barrier I could between me and the monster that had become of my pet. I could still hear its voice in my head though. _Oh come on Jack... Jacks… Jackie… Jack-eroni… Let me in. Maddy isn't here, and I have this awful tingling behind my ear that can only be fixed by a good scratching…_

"Scaring away all the ladies." I muttered without thinking, then my brain caught up with my mouth and I froze. Did I really just say that? It was the exact line I had used on the forum.

My mind was spinning, fitting together pieces I didn't know were there. The result was an image that was still unclear, but was starting to look very ugly. I post about a tiger and my tabby becomes one. Travis types about stealing a car, and then goes out and takes one. And Alexix, Dylin, and Oswald had all fought the hellhounds yesterday…

Racing back to the computer, I hit F5 with enough force to crack the key. The webpage refreshed way too slowly for my liking, but when the text had finally loaded, I felt my stomach sink as though I had swallowed a stone. In between Travis' turmoil, Oswald's objections, Dylin's defense, and Alexix's accusations, there was a single message from Silena.

Silena-to-Pranker I don't know who did this or why, but congratulations. Your magic water trick soaked me, ruined my outfit, and canceled my date. I hope you're proud of yourself.

That was all the proof I needed. Silena had been in a water war with Pyper, another role-player, earlier. I quickly sat at the keyboard and spelled it out for them.

Derain-to-All Guys, don't you get it? Roll Playing isn't a game anymore. It's becoming real. Everything we say or do on here becomes something in real life.

The effects were immediate. Silena started yelling at me for ruining her shot at a kiss while Alexix tried to explain to me in logical terms exactly why that wasn't possible. Oswald and Dylin picked up a debate weighing the coolness against the potential injuries of something like this. Travis continued to bemoan his new life as a thief.

I hit reply to try and prove my train of thought to them, but before I could type anything, my new tiger broke down my door.

**Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. Thanks to all the people who reviewed, and to all of you readers who haven't yet, please do.**

**To avoid conflict, Oswald belongs to River W., Dylin belongs to Greakfreak, Silena belongs to Zuzumonster12 (and Rick Riordan), Pyper belongs to DivergentDemigodTribute, and Paris belongs to Weeping-willows18. All of these characters come from the minds of amazing authors, so you should check out their stories too. **

**I want to point out that Derain (and Charlie the tiger) was thought up by the fantabulous Jagged Peak. I did ask him before using his character. I would also like to point out that I have NO IDEA what Jagged Peak is like in real life. I completely made up the guy behind the computer. I don't know if he really has a cat or an older sister in college or prefers comics to football. So please don't get mad if absolutely none of that is true, it's for the sake of the story. **

**Thanks again to all you readers, please R&R. ~NinjaB.**


	3. I'm moving And being watched Brilliant

_Greasy wrappers of food that had been eaten long ago surrounded the glowing screen. The screen itself was spotless. Several cleaning cloths laid beside it to ensure this fact was never changed. On the crystal clean screen were a multitude of dots. Small pinpricks of light, barely large enough to be seen, but the gloves traced over them all, carefully counting so none were missed, connecting them to one point..._

Derain-to-All Guys, don't you get it? Roll Playing isn't a game anymore. It's becoming real. Everything we say or do on here becomes something in real life.

Dylin-to-All Dude, seriously? Do you know how cool that would be? I would love to fight monsters in real life.

Oswald-to-Dylin I'm not sure, don't you think it would be tough, facing one every day?

Dylin-to-Oswald If Ambrosia and Nectar are real too, there wouldn't be any problems.

Alexix-to-Dylin Ambrosia and Nectar can't be real. If a new healing agent were discovered, it would be all over the market. I'm not sure about you, but I haven't heard about anything like that.

I stared at the screen in shock, numbly typing out my replies when they were asked for. The proof was written out in black and white before my eyes, but I still couldn't seem to understand. Surely this was some sort of joke. Something set up by whoever designed online groups like these. After all, I was nothing like my character, Oswald. If the forum was real, shouldn't I be a bit more like my character?

"Mathew, will you come in here please?" My mom's voice called me from the living room. Of course she had to pick the most critical moment in my entire roll playing history to interrupt. Rolling my eyes, I walked out to meet her.

"Yeah?" My mom was standing in front of the windows, pacing nervously back and forth. I looked at her strangely. My mom never got worked up, I was normally the wild one. "Is something wrong?"

"M-maybe you should sit down." My mom said, gesturing to the couch. I just stared at her, trying to see what was wrong. Her dark hair fell down to the middle of her back, the curls that my hair messy turning hers into perfect ringlets. Her coffee and cream skin was wrinkled a little next to her dark chocolate eyes and the corners of her mouth from where she smiled.

People often said we looked alike, but that was only until they got to know us. My mom was always nice, like a ray of sunshine that no one could hide from. I was more like a black hole. I didn't smile without reason, and was about as social as a black bear during winter. I figured my mom was nice enough for the both of us.

Still looking her over, I settled onto the couch. "What happened?"

My mom just stood there wringing her hands for a few more seconds. "I, um, I decided we need a change of pace."

I raised my eyebrows, fairly confident that no one used the phrase 'change of pace' anymore. I wasn't even sure what it meant. "Okay…?"

My mom sighed, looking out the window, and then quickly spelled it out. "We're moving."

I blinked. "What? Where? Mom, we just got here." This was true. In fact, we had only lived in this town eight months, barely enough time for me to make it through a year of high school. I guess it wasn't totally unexpected though. My mom couldn't stand to live in one place too long. She said it made her antsy. We had been to twelve different states in the last seven years.

"New York. I decided I've had too much of the small town life. Are you mad?"

I thought about her question. I had just settled in here, literally unpacking the last box no more than four weeks ago. I had found a couple of good friends too, which was a couple more than I would have in New York. But I looked at my mom biting her lip, and I didn't have the heart to crush this latest dream of hers. "Of course not, Mom. People are always saying how too much fresh air isn't good for you."

She smiled at me gently, and it was worth it, just to see her face light up. Things had been rough since my dad left, and making my mom happy was worth any price. "Thank you, Mathew. You're going to love the big apple, I just know it."

"Yeah," I muttered half-heartedly, "I can't wait. Are we done now?"

She glanced down at her watch. "Oh, good call. I've got to run. There are probably leftovers in the fridge, you can take care of your dinner, right?"

I nodded, and she walked around the couch planting a kiss on my head. "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well."

"Love you too mom. Try and get some sleep tonight."

My mom just laughed at me. "My shift ends at four. Call if you need anything, alright?"

I nodded again, and my mom left. I sat there a minute, absorbing the blow she had just dealt me, but it didn't last long. I leapt over the back of the couch and went back to my computer, refreshing the comments on my forum.

There were some new comments from Alexix explaining the process of free will and how as individual human beings, it wasn't possible to be controlled by a computer. Dylin had posted a few new comments about metaphors. It was actually kind of deep, for example, if we are attacked by the monster, Medusa, online and turned to stone, it could be a metaphor for us facing a messy haired woman and becoming paralyzed with fear. Silena was still yelling at Derain, who seemed to have logged off. Travis had logged off too, after saying something about cops being outside.

I hit reply to try to bring some of Dylin's wilder ideas down to earth, not that Alexix wasn't doing a fine job of keeping everyone grounded in reality, but I hadn't typed a word when my response popped up.

Oswald-to-All You're never going to believe this, but I'm moving. To New York.

Once again, I found myself staring at the screen in shock. I hadn't typed that, which meant someone else could type for me. It meant someone else was watching me, had heard my conversation with my mom. Suddenly, my room didn't feel as safe. I walked quickly to the window, making sure the latches were secured. Then I went around checking the locks on all of the doors and windows in the house. I thought about sending my mom a text message to warn her, but that would just stress her out.

It wasn't until I was back in my room that I recognized the other aspect of the message. The part that had chills running down my spine like someone had slipped an ice cube down my shirt. Not only was someone watching me and posting about my life; if the forum truly was becoming real, then someone else had the power to control me.

**And then they all died. Not really. **

**So, once again, I don't own anyone (except Alexix/ Brittany) I completely made up Matthew and his mother. Oswald is a character designed by River. W. Not me. I have no idea what River is like in real life. Don't hate me if I'm wrong.**

**ALSO if I have PM'd you about using your character, and then you read a chapter that has something in it you don't like, feel free to tell me in a PM or review. If it's something minor like, Derain doesn't like the fact that his cat ate bad tuna, tell me and I'll discuss it with you, but maybe not change it. If it's something that really bugs you, like I wrote that Brittany has twin brothers, and it strikes too close to home, tell me, and I'll gladly change it.**

**So disclaimer again. I don't own Silena, Derain, Oswald, Dylin, or Travis, but I do make up their 'real lives' and everything they say and do in this story.**

**I'm really tired of writing this A/N now. School's starting so I don't have as much time to write. If you want me to keep updating, Review! **

**Seriously, that's all now. ~NinjaB.**


	4. I get on a bus to Cherub Hating Bathtubs

_The room held one small window, but what little light that made it through the layer of grime and dirt on the glass was quickly eliminated by the thick cloth strewn carelessly over the steel bars that ensured solitude. It didn't matter. The computers, controllers, and other necessary devices all produced a light of their own. Eyes that were sunk deep into their skull flitted over these mechanisms deftly, having long since mastered the art of technology—long since mastered making it real. The raspy voice spoke out again, though its owner had no one to deliver a song to, "The wheels on the bus go round and round…"_

I walked out of McDonald's in a slight daze, preferring my invented worlds to the one I was stuck with. The city rushed around me, busy as ever, but I had long since learned to remove myself from it. I could catalog the people rushing by, all lost in their own little worlds. It made coming up with characters for my stories easy when I needed it.

There was the business man, trying to convince his boss that he was stuck in traffic when really, he couldn't go without his morning coffee. There was the dropout, sitting on the corner waiting for something interesting to happen because he couldn't be bothered to make life interesting himself. There was the irritated older sister, yelling at the two boys running around her while another girl (probably a sister) watched with an uninterested air, obviously stuck babysitting for the day.

I wondered idly how an onlooker would categorize me. I was of medium height, brown hair that fell in curls over my forehead. Not bad looking, I supposed, but nothing really memorable about me. I was dressed just like most of the other guys in the city, in the nation, probably, simple T-shirt and jeans. I didn't have any books or a backpack, so I probably wouldn't be stereotyped as a nerd. They wouldn't really have any grounds to call me a gamer either. I was just another guy, easily passed up in the crowd.

I hopped onto my bus and paid the fare, not bothering to look at the bus driver. Instead, I continued to judge the people on the bus. There was a blonde girl in a tank-top and miniskirt that was too easy to nail as a cheerleader. Behind her, there was a boy who was twisting around one of the maps of New York that are everywhere- a tourist. I saw two girls sitting together behind him, though they obviously didn't know each other. One of the girls had dark hair with heavy make-up, clearly going for the punk look. The other was a brunette with her straight hair pulled back into a sensible ponytail. Her tan lean body had me marking her as an athlete. Both had their cell phones out. Behind the girls was a mess of red hair and freckles, a guy stared out the window nervously, biting the nails on one hand while fiddling with his phone in the other. He must be scared of…

"Um, do you mind?" An easy-peg nerd was standing behind me. Her glasses had gemstones, as though she was trying to broadcast her studying habits, and she was carrying no fewer than four books in her arms. "Excuse me? I'm trying to get on the bus. Could you pick a seat?"

Her accent placed her outside of New York, but not by much. She was probably from Jersey. I moved to the back of the bus and sat.

The bus groaned and shifted, probably belching a disgusting amount of ozone destroying gasses into the general smog of New York.

Once I was no longer irritating random citizens, I looked over the bus again. Something about the people on it was bothering me. After categorizing a final dark-haired boy as a Goth who would probably get along with the punk chick, I could safely conclude that none of the people on the bus were murderers or any other threat to my immediate safety. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling in the back of my mind that something was off.

The bus stopped to let another girl on (blonde pixie cut+ minimal makeup+ name brand denim jacket+ confident walk = popular, but not queen bee) who quickly sat down near the cheerleader though there were plenty of empty seats, and I realized what was wrong. Never in my existence as a New Yorker had I seen a bus with only nine people on it, but that was the number on this one, discounting the bus driver. Another odd fact about the demographics on this bus was the fact that every one of the passengers was a teenager. I blinked, surprised. Sure, this was New York, and I guess everything strange or unusual is supposed to happen in New York, but having two statistical anomalies on one bus ride was definitely unheard of, especially for me.

The next time the bus stopped, I stood to get off, even though we were nowhere near my destination. I moved up the aisle, but my way was blocked by a gawky boy climbing on the bus. Another teenager, this one too tall for his own good; I would have put money down to say he was a klutz. Clumsy or not, he forced me to move into the empty seat next to map boy.

I'm not really one for eavesdropping, but I heard him mutter, "…not following any route…"

Maybe I should have stopped and asked him what he was talking about, but it was New York, and I couldn't just strike up a conversation with a muttering stranger on a bus.

Once the gangly boy had moved past me, I moved back into the aisle just in time to hear the bus doors shut with a hiss. I looked up and saw the babysitter from earlier, red-faced and panting, grabbing the top of a seat to keep from falling as the bus lurched into motion. As I made my way towards them, I could hear her talking to the driver.

"…have to go back! You left my siblings behind! Do you know how much trouble I'll be in if my parents find out about this? Just drop me off at the nearest corner. I'll walk back."

I saw the driver shake his head, his blonde curls bouncing back and forth, but he didn't say anything. I watched the girl's face flush further. "What do you mean no? You have to let me off. How far is the next stop? You just abandoned my siblings!"

The bus driver still didn't say anything, just tapped a map taped to the side of the steering console next to a first aid kit and one of those CPR instruction papers. They always seemed sort of pointless to me, the CPR papers, that is. When someone has a heart attack, who is going to have time to read about how to save them? Babysitter looked around and spotted me.

"You're from around here, right? How do you make these stupid bus drivers stop?"

"Um… you just…" I pressed the tape on the side of the bus, to indicate that I wanted to get off, but the bus driver just pointed at the map again. The girl glared at me as though this was somehow my fault. I rolled my eyes. "Have you tried checking the map?"

She scowled at me. "Yes I've checked the map, I'm not an idiot. According to the map, there's only one stop which makes no sense at all since I assume he picked you people up somewhere else."

I bent down to see the map, and realized she was right. There was only one stop, and it wasn't labeled. It was just marked with the letters CHB. "CHB." I read aloud. "What does that mean?"

"Cute Hula Boutique. Chubby Hamster Brothers. Cherub Hating Bathtubs."

I looked up at the babysitter. "Cherub hating bathtubs? That doesn't make any sense."

She crossed her arms. "Lots of bathtubs have a thing against naked angels. And besides, it makes more sense than a bus route with only one stop."

I would have conceded the point, or maybe argued more, but the bus turned a corner, and she fell into me, apologizing even before we touched. "Maybe we should go sit down." I suggested.

"You're the one keeping me from my seat."

The absurdity of this statement had me opening my mouth to protest, but before I could, her mouth twisted up in a grin. "I'm kidding. Seriously though, can I get through?"

I moved back to my seat and pulled out my phone, watching the babysitter choose her seat across from Goth boy. Out of habit, I flipped to my forum page. There was nothing better to do until the bus stopped again, anyways.

Selena-to-Travis I guess, I mean, if Chiron trusts him he must be okay, right?

Travis-to-Sapphire We're heading back to camp. We got the camp taxi man to cart us back from the city.

Pyper-to-Sapphire Have you met this guy? I've heard he's got eyes everywhere, even on his tongue! So he never talks.

Sapphire-to-Pyper Ew! That's disgusting. You're letting him drive us around?

Dylin-to-All A taxi ride? That's it? If what we say on here becomes real, that's pretty lame. Why don't we throw in a dragon? Or Medusa?

I didn't want to be the killjoy, but since 'Alexix' wasn't on, I figured someone had to keep them grounded in reality. If we were going to make up real-world adventures, I wanted them to be cool, like battling Cyclopes or the hellhound I had seen. According to 'Oswald', he and 'Alexix' had already battled some in real life. That's what I call cool.

I refreshed the page, and looked around the bus, waiting for it to load. The nerdy girl had opened one of her books; the tourist was still working with his map. The cheerleader had pulled out her phone, but the popular girl next to her just stared blankly out the window.

Travis-to-Dylin Dude, I'm on the run from the cops. I really don't need any more adventure in my life.

Sapphire-to-Dylin I'm still just trying to figure out if this works. I'm not entirely convinced.

Selena-to-Sapphire Trust me, it works. I had to cancel the last date before my vacation thanks to some water war that I had online.

Pyper-to-Selena Sorry about that, but how was I supposed to know it was real? Where are you vacationing?

Sapphire-to-Travis Mind telling us where you're hiding? Maybe we could get a ransom for you. JK. ;-)

Selena-to-Pyper New York City. It's kind of cool actually.

Travis-to-Sapphire Actually, I doubt they'll find me. I'm in one of the biggest cities in America. Funny though, I expected it to be harder to find seats on a bus here.

"No way."

I looked up at the sound of a voice. The punk girl was standing in her seat, looking around. I rolled my eyes. She was probably one of the theatrical groups in the city. I hated it when they felt obligated to 'liven up our lives'.

"What are you doing?" The athlete next to her asked, clearly weirded out.

"Which one of you is Travis?" The punk demanded.

It took me a moment to figure out what she meant, but when I did I looked at the people on the bus with new eyes. I counted and recounted, trying to make the numbers come out differently. There were eleven people on the bus. Eleven strangers. Eleven teenagers. The same number as the members of my forum.

I looked at the bus driver, trying to figure out how he played into this. As I stared at him, he rolled up his sleeves revealing forearms covered with tattoos. They were eyes. Every one of the dark ink images was an eye. He moved to scratch his ear, and I could have sworn one of them _winked _at me.

"It's the forum." The almost-queen-bee gasped.

"Everyone's here." The cheerleader said at the same time.

"But that's not possible…" The babysitter started, looking at all of us, clearly counting the passengers as I had.

"Hadn't someone said it became real?" The athlete countered.

I grinned at the babysitter. "I think I know what CHS stands for."

She just stared at me. Then Goth boy came to her rescue. "It's obvious isn't it? We're going to Camp Half-blood."

**So sorry it's taken me so long to update. You would not believe how busy I've been. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy. **

**People I don't own: Pyper (DivergentDemigodTribute), Sapphire&Dylin (Greakfreak)**

**I did come up with all of the real-life versions of these characters though. **

**Read, review, recycle. (That is what those three arrows stand for, right?) **

**You are all brilliant as always ~NinjaB.**


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